By: Darrell W. Fuller, OVDA/OPSA Lobbyist
The Oregon Constitution allows the Legislative Assembly 160 days this year to create a balanced two-year budget. A balanced budget is the Legislature’s only constitutional obligation. But along the way, they will create a lot of new laws, create new taxes, increase existing taxes, and set the course for the ship-of-state for the next two years.
Over 3,500 bills have been introduced. So many bills have been introduced that some legislators have even introduced a bill to cap the number of bills that can be introduced.
Legislators zipped past the half-way point in mid-April. An April 9 deadline required all bills to be moving from one Chamber to another. All other bills (more than half) are dead for this session. The second Chamber deadline (when committees start to close) is May 23.
Final budget negotiations begin in earnest on May 14 when the Revenue Forecast is released. It is the May Revenue Forecast that legislators use to determine how much money is available to spend for the next two years, starting in July.
The Assembly must Sine Die (end) by midnight on June 30.
The Bend Bulletin editorialized on the process here. And OPB offers their analysis at the half way point here.
There are many big, thorny issues this session, but likely the biggest, and thorniest, will be a new transportation package. It will create new taxes, increase existing taxes, and dedicate a lot of money to our transportation system. The Oregonian expressed some concerns in an editorial you can read here.
And the debate over DEQ adopting California’s new rules for RVs and trucks, called Advanced Clean Truck rules, received a lot of attention early this session, and negotiations continue beneath the surface. A report by OverDriveOnline.com can be read here.
Democrats have a supermajority in both the Senate and House. This means they can create new taxes, increase existing taxes, and create new laws without any Republican votes. They will always be willing to make deals with Republicans to create bipartisan legislation. But when push-comes-to-shove, Democrats are in charge.
OVDA Industry-Specific Bills
I was tracking more than one hundred bills for OVDA at the session’s high mark. Thanks to the April 9 “moving day” deadline, the number of bills of interest has been reduced to just
over 60. Many transportation-related bills didn’t die with the April deadline because they are assigned to the Joint Transportation Committee which is not impacted by the deadline.
This report includes two legislation tracking reports. One is specific to OVDA. The other, labelled “Keizer Chamber”, includes bills I am tracking on behalf of all of my clients, and they are related to general business and tax issues.
Here are the highlights of the most “interesting” proposals:
Unknown / Transportation Funding Package
The Democratic Leadership of the Legislature desires to pass a huge transportation funding package known as TRIP (Transportation ReInvestment Program). It has a large number of new and increased taxes and fees, including a new one percent sales tax on all dealer sales. But they call it a “one time system use fee”. There is no written language available to the public. A high-level review of their plan is attached.
Unknown / Budget
DMV is planning to request a huge increase in the fee associated with holding a dealer certification. The current cost of a three-year ticket is $1,188. DMV is seeking an increase to $2,600. There is a similar increase in supplemental certificates. The certification fee has not increased since 2017, so an increase is likely appropriate. However, adjusting the current fee for inflation would move it from $1,188 to $1,630.
At this point, on behalf of OVDA, ORVDA and NATA, I plan to actively oppose the increase to $2,600. However, I may be willing to support or stay neutral on changes which do not exceed a CPI adjustment. If you prefer a different position, please let me know quickly.
House Bill 2660 HB2660 was introduced at the request of ORVDA (RV Dealers) and OVDA. It allows vehicle dealers to issue a recreational vehicle trip permit that is valid for 30 consecutive days if the vehicle is bought by a person who does not reside in Oregon and does not intend to title the vehicle in Oregon.
I testified in favor of the bill on behalf of OVDA. You can read the written testimony here.
HB2660 passed the Senate and House and was signed into law by Governor Kotek on May 12, 2025. It becomes effective on January 1, 2026.
House Bill 2663 HB2663 was introduced at the request of OVDA and ORVDA. It permits a vehicle dealer to issue temporary registration permits for motor vehicles that do not have proof of compliance with DEQ requirements, rather than providing a trip permit. Requires the dealer to notify the purchaser the vehicle must pass DEQ in order for DMV to process the registration.
I testified in favor of the bill on behalf of OVDA and ORVDA. You can read the written testimony here.
We are awaiting an amendment to the bill. I still believe the bill has a good chance of passing both chambers and becoming law.
House Bill 3119 HB3119 Prohibits the Department of Environmental Quality from implementing or enforcing the Advanced Clean Trucks regulations before January 1, 2027.
OVDA is part of a large coalition supporting a delay in implementing the California rules. This bill is dead. However, an amendment to SB840 (see below) will have the same impact as HB3119 if adopted.
RVIA submitted written testimony you can find here. The Portland Metro RV Dealers Association submitted written testimony you can find here. I elected not to submit written testimony as most of my work has been behind the scenes.
House Bill 3177 HB3177 Requires a motor vehicle seller to check a used motor vehicle’s vehicle identification number against the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s motor vehicle safety recall database and to repair or replace all parts of the motor vehicle that are subject to a safety recall before advertising or offering the motor vehicle for sale or lease.
I testified in opposition to the bill on behalf of OVDA, ORVDA and NATA. You can read my written testimony here.
HB3177 is dead for 2025, but it will likely come back in future sessions of the Legislature.
House Bill 3178 HB3178 Makes numerous changes in the sale and financing of any motor vehicle. This bill started out as a memo from “Consumer Justice” to state Rep. Nathan Sosa, Chair of the House Consumer Protection Committee and a trial lawyer by profession. It was truly awful. See the original version of the bill here. Through a lot of negotiating the final version of the bill is much less awful. You can read the final version here.
I testified in opposition to the original bill on behalf of OVDA, ORVDA, and NATA (Northwest Auto Trades Association). You can read the written testimony here. My testimony on the final version of the bill can be read here. You can read all the submitted written testimony here.
In a few weeks, I will provide a detailed analysis of the impact of the final bill on the industry.
Senate Bill 840 SB840 is an omnibus DMV bill. The original bill had a lot of changes opposed by dealers and dismantlers. I was successful in getting the offending language removed once the committee adopts amendments. A late breaking amendment will delay implementation of the California Advanced Clean Truck Rules. The Joint Transportation Committee may consider the amendment as early as May 13.
Coalitions on Legislation Impacting Business
Attached with this are some of the coalition letters including the OVDA logo which support and oppose legislation impacting the business community.
Business Legislation
Attached with this is a list of bills titled “Keizer Chamber”. It lists the bills I’m tracking on behalf all of my clients which impact the general business climate in Oregon.
Conclusion
If you have any questions about any of this, please let me know at fuller_darrell@yahoo.com or 971-388-1786.